As Zhang Yuhe broke through to the realm of Refining Emptiness, the entire Yunmang Mountain Range suddenly changed. Dark clouds covered the sky as if the end of the world had come.
Countless monsters ran frantically out of the mountains, triggering a massive wave of beasts.
Zhang Yuhe stood up, and nine flying swords slowly rotated around him. He looked up at the sky with a serious expression.
He saw dark clouds gathering quickly, forming a huge vortex. Lightning and thunder crackled within, and dazzling light flickered from time to time.
"Is this the calamity? It is indeed a bit scary," Zhang Yuhe murmured, feeling the terrifying pressure from the heavenly tribulation. He became a little nervous. However, the tribulation gave him little time to prepare.
A bolt of lightning, as thick as a bucket and shining with seven colors, quickly formed from the vortex and struck straight down toward the center of the island.
As the thunder arrived above the island, a faint blue light curtain slowly rose.
The Renshui Lightning Absorption Array activated rapidly.
The thunder passed through the blue light curtain, and a small amount of lightning was drawn by the light curtain, quickly sliding toward the lake. Countless lightning bolts fell into the lake, causing massive waves.
The Renshui Lightning Absorption Array did have the effect of weakening the natural disaster. After being weakened by the formation, the power of the thunder was slightly reduced.
Even so, Zhang Yuhe still dared not underestimate it.
He quickly took out a green bead—an inferior defensive magical treasure, the Qingxuan Pearl.
As he injected his magic power, a strong light burst out from the surface of the Qingxuan Pearl, forming a green barrier above his head.
Boom...
At this moment, the first heavenly tribulation finally arrived.
The thunder struck the blue light curtain with a deafening sound. The blue light curtain vibrated violently, and countless tiny lightning bolts passed through it, hitting Zhang Yuhe. The shocks gave him a tingling sensation, but they seemed to be strengthening his body.
The heavenly tribulation was both a test and a benefit for cultivators. As long as the cultivator survived the tribulation, their physical body would be greatly strengthened. This was one reason why Void Refining cultivators were far stronger than Spirit Transformation cultivators.
After being strengthened by the heavenly tribulation, a Void Refining cultivator could fight without magical powers or weapons. Just relying on physical strength, they could lift and defeat a Spirit Transformation cultivator.
"Fortunately, the first heavenly tribulation wasn't too strong," Zhang Yuhe murmured. He looked upward and saw that the light curtain, supported by the Qingxuan Pearl, was still intact.
He sighed in relief. Since the low-grade defensive Lingtian treasure could withstand the bombardment of the heavenly calamity, things were looking easier now.
Although this was only the first tribulation, with 62 more to come, Zhang Yuhe knew that the power of the upcoming heavenly tribulations would only increase. However, he felt a bit more confident.
He had prepared numerous defensive magical treasures. The most important part was that he still had the Nine Heavens Hunyuan Sword Formation as a final guarantee.
As long as these defensive treasures helped him last a little longer, the Nine Heavens Hunyuan Sword Formation's powerful defense would surely withstand the remaining strikes.
Why hadn't he activated the Nine Heavens Hunyuan Sword Formation earlier? The reason was simple: he couldn't reveal all his cards right from the start. Moreover, the Nine Heavens Hunyuan Sword Formation was extremely powerful, but its foundation—the Nine Heavens Hunyuan Sword, his natal magic weapon—was still a low-grade Tongtian Lingbao. It might not be able to endure the heavenly tribulation's bombardment.
Zhang Yuhe had just broken through to the Void Refinement Realm and had no time to upgrade his natal magic weapon. If the tribulation destroyed his life-saving weapon, he would have no recourse. So, he planned to save the Nine Heavens Hunyuan Sword Formation for later, using the ordinary defensive treasures to withstand the tribulation for now. When those treasures could no longer hold, he would activate the sword formation.
As the thunder continued, the green barrier above Zhang Yuhe's head began to crack.
Snap...
After the ninth bolt of thunder, tiny cracks appeared on the surface of the Qingxuan Pearl. Zhang Yuhe quickly took it back and summoned a yellow shield.
The Xuanyu Shield, also a low-grade defensive magical treasure, was activated, and a khaki light curtain formed above his head.
Time passed slowly, and the thunder struck continuously. The vortex in the sky slowly expanded, and the thunder grew stronger. What had begun as a low-grade defensive treasure blocking nine strikes was now failing after only two or three.
Zhang Yuhe looked grim. It was only the fifth round, and the efficacy of his low-grade defensive treasures was quickly diminishing.
Fortunately, he had been well-prepared. As long as each treasure could withstand one strike from the tribulation, he would be fine.
...
Meanwhile, the area around Yunzhong Prefecture descended into chaos.
A large number of monsters rushed out of the Yunmang Mountains, putting tremendous pressure on the surrounding cities.
At first, many people believed that a beast tide had broken out. The major forces in the city united to prepare for the siege.
However, not long after, they saw dark clouds covering the sky above the Yunmang Mountains.
Listening to the distant thunder, everyone began to understand the true cause of the disturbance.
At the Yunzhong Town Defense Headquarters, Wang Guofeng and two others stood outside the mansion. Seeing the strange vision in the sky, Qian Weigang murmured to himself, "Is this a calamity?"
Sun Pengcheng, standing next to him, answered, "I'm not sure. I've never seen a cultivator go through a tribulation, but from the vision in the distance, it seems very similar to the heavenly tribulation recorded in the classics."
"I just don't know if it's a cultivator or a demon beast going through it," he added.
There were many monsters in the Yunmang Mountains, including seventh and eighth-level monsters, and even a few sixth-level ones. When a demon beast breaks through the seventh level, it triggers a heavenly tribulation.
In the past, there were records of monsters undergoing tribulations in the Yunmang Mountains, but Qian Weigang and Sun Pengcheng, who had been practicing Taoism for only a short time, had never witnessed such an event.
Wang Guofeng, unfamiliar with tribulations, had never seen a cultivator endure one. To him, the strange vision seemed like a natural disaster.
The three stood outside the mansion, uneasy, as they received a report from the city below. Monsters or cultivators were undergoing a tribulation in the Yunmang Mountains, causing the monster wave to spill into nearby cities.
The garrison commander was absent, and the city's defensive formation was unavailable. They were unsure what to do if the beast tide reached Yunzhong City.
Suddenly, Qian Weigang spoke, as if speculating. "Do you think the person undergoing the tribulation is the town guardian?"
"No way. If the town guardian is going through the tribulation, he would have found someone to protect him," Sun Pengcheng replied.
"That's hard to say. Three days ago, the town guardian suddenly left, and now a heavenly tribulation has arrived in the Yunmang Mountains. I think it's likely that he's just broken through to the Refining Emptiness Realm and is undergoing the tribulation."
"If the Town Lord survives the tribulation successfully, wouldn't he become an elder of the Daosheng Sect?" Qian Weigang speculated.
"Yes, sir, you're a man of great talent, and we can only look up to you," Sun Pengcheng added.
The two continued to discuss in low voices while Wang Guofeng, unsure of the situation, listened.
He wasn't familiar with the process of a cultivator undergoing a tribulation. To him, the natural disaster in the distance seemed like a strange and uncertain event.
If Zhang Yuhe was indeed the one undergoing the tribulation in the Yunmang Mountains, Wang Guofeng, a fellow traveler from Blue Star, felt a mix of excitement and hesitation.
If Zhang Yuhe broke through to the Refining Emptiness Realm, he would become an elder of the Daosheng Sect. Could Wang Guofeng still rely on him?
It was all so confusing.